Year of Faith: Advent

“The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.” (Is 11:1-10)

Fear of the Lord

Farm fields and emptiness: As I sat under a tree listening to the wind blowing and the birds chirping, I began to read, to ponder and to examine the readings from the Lord. It was in this reading that I fell in love. It was stated, “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.” (Is 11:1-10) This one simple word floated in my mind: Fear, fear of the Lord? Why would I fear someone I love and someone who loves me? It was then that I began to read the “fear” of the Lord as the “love” of the Lord.

As I am more fully aware of the “Love” of the Lord, the challenge of loving others would come to new understanding for me. For example, in the reading, “Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them” (Is 11:1-10). According to the passage, everyone and everything will come together in peace and harmony through the Lord’s love. I realize there are many challenges and paradoxes in this world and that God’s love, at work in us, is possibly the only thing that can bring about real peace.

During my transition into the Catholic faith through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (R.C.I.A.) I felt God’s compassion, grew in knowledge of God’s word and had a better understanding of God’s will for me. My faith grew stronger after each meeting with my sponsor, each time I read the scriptures, and when I went to church. This enabled me to become a stronger person, not just through brute strength, but also as a man strong in faith. This reading affects my life and helps me realize how the love of the Lord can make us stronger, lead us to wisdom and understanding of who we are as people and the challenges to love as God loves so that we can be instruments of peace.